In a major internal change, the Wall Street Journal has made the last steps to integrate their old media and new media products. Among the changes is Bill Grueskin, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, has been named deputy managing editor for news. Today’s announcement says the changes are “aimed at better positioning the Journal to benefit from the profound changes sweeping the news business.”
Also: Bancroft family and Murdoch still far apart on key issues (WSJ sub. req.)
Press release on reorganization below…
NEW YORK (June 13, 2007) — The Wall Street Journal today announced key organizational changes to its top editing ranks that is aimed at better positioning the Journal to benefit from the profound changes sweeping the news business.
This new organizational change will fully complete the integration of the Journal’s print and online news operations and will simplify our international news structure, at a time when the company is expanding and has a stronger presence worldwide.
“We have been as agile as anyone at adapting to change in recent years, said Marcus W. Brauchli, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. “We continue to produce the world’s best journalism, tailored to an audience that seeks to understand the context and meaning of events, not only in business but generally. Yet simply to maintain our standing, we must adapt to constant change.”
The key organizational changes in the Journal’s news operations include the following:
* Bill Grueskin, managing editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, has been named deputy managing editor for news. In his role, Mr. Grueskin’s mission is to draw on the news resources at Dow Jones to ensure that each edition of the Journal-Online, Asia, Europe or the U.S.-is getting the right content at the right time, without detracting from our core commitment to the long-form, deeply reported narrative and analytic journalism that defines the Journal. He will oversee a melding of the online and print Journals and a rethinking of how we approach and produce news. The combined news desks will report to him, as will the South Brunswick news teams under assistant managing editor Alan Anspaugh. In addition, Bill will oversee our U.S. bureaus and work with bureau chiefs to ensure we are pioneering in the ways we cover news from the field.
* Alan Murray has been named executive editor, online. Mr. Murray will oversee a wide domain, including The Wall Street Journal Online and will continue to manage the Dow Jones relationship with CNBC. Dave Callaway, managing editor of MarketWatch will report to him.
* Mike Miller, for the last seven years a Page One editor and before that editor of the Marketplace page, will become the Journal franchise’s deputy managing editor for enterprise journalism. He will oversee the Marketplace section, under editor Melinda Beck; the Personal Journal section, under editor Hilary Stout; Weekend Journal, under Eben Shapiro; the Pursuits section, under Tom Weber; and the special reports, under Larry Rout
* . Dan Hertzberg, now senior deputy managing editor, will become deputy managing editor for international news. In that role, Dan will oversee the Journal’s overseas editions, as well as our foreign bureaus. Dan will relocate to Europe, allowing him to overlap with most key time zones. He also will work with the business side of the Journal in developing new editorial products internationally. The managing editors in Asia and Europe, Christine Glancey and Jesse Lewis, will report to Dan. He also will work closely with our new partners at Financial News in London and will work with the business side of the Journal in developing new editorial products internationally.
* Laurie Hays, the national news editor, will become deputy managing editor for projects. In that role, Laurie will oversee our investigative teams and will work with editors, bureau chiefs and reporters across the paper to develop significant projects and manage surges of coverage on big, complicated stories. She also will be charged with developing computer-assisted reporting skills.
* Mike Williams, now editor in Europe and the editor responsible for the Journal’s energy coverage, will return to New York this summer as page one editor. A veteran foreign correspondent, Mike has also been a deputy foreign editor.
* Alix Freedman will continue in her current role as deputy managing editor and managing the Journal’s ethics policies
* Nik Deogun will continue as editor of the Journal’s Money & Investing section. These news executives will report directly to Mr. Brauchli and will begin their new roles effective in July.
“I am confident these changes will position us to be maximally competitive in a fast-changing world, and enable the Journal to thrive and best serve our readers in print and online,” Mr. Brauchli added.
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About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, the flagship publication of Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; www.dowjones.com), is the world’s leading business publication. Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal has a print and online circulation of nearly 2.1 million, reaching the nation’s top business and political leaders, as well as investors across the country. Holding 33 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, The Wall Street Journal provides readers with trusted information and knowledge to make better decisions. The Wall Street Journal franchise has more than 700 journalists world-wide, part of the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,800 business and financial news staff. Other publications that are part of The Wall Street Journal franchise, with total circulation of 2.7 million, include The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. In 2007, the Journal was ranked No. 1 in BtoB’s Media Power 50 for the eighth consecutive year.